UFC fighter Israel Adesanya was arrested at JFK Airport Wednesday after authorities discovered “metal knuckles” in his luggage. His manager claimed that a fan gave him the knuckles shortly before the flight, and he was later released after disposing of the item.

Over the weekend, Adesanya lost the UFC Middleweight Championship to Alex Pereira at Madison Square Garden, the second defeat of his career. On his way out of New York, manager Tim Simpson maintains that the knuckles in his bag did not belong to him.

“Israel was handed a gift by a fan, which he put in his luggage,” Simpson said. “When flagged at the airport, Israel quickly disposed of the item and cooperated with authorities. He has complied accordingly. With that, the matter was dismissed and he’s on his way home.”

The Port Authority Police Department clarified that Adesanya was given a citation and a notice for a future court appearance. Owning brass knuckles is a Class A misdemeanor in the state of New York, though Adesanya was initially stopped for having them in his carry-on instead of putting it in checked luggage, per TSA guidelines.

Between a title loss and run-in with law enforcement, it hasn’t been a pleasant week for Adesanya, who has risen through the ranks of the UFC in recent years with 23 victories and five successful title defenses. His defeat to Pereira was his first in the UFC middleweight division, but he lost to the Brazilian fighter in two kickboxing matches in 2016 and 2017. He claimed afterwards that the referee’s decision to stop their most recent fight was premature.

“You see when I get up, I’m fine, because I was lucid,” Adesanya said Monday on “The MMA Hour” podcast. “I didn’t get rocked-rocked.”

As the former champ, Adesanya has the right to a rematch clause and has expressed interest in fighting Pereira again after some time off, regardless of whether he holds on to the belt.

“I’ll fight him again,” Adesanya said. “I’ll probably fight him two more times.”

UFC 281 will take place tonight – and it’s especially important for Israel Adesanya to come out with his hand raised.

Also known as “The Last Stylebender,” he even admitted himself that he needs to defeat Alex Pereira.

“If there’s ever a fight, I have to win, it’s this one,” Adesanya said in a recent YouTube post.

“That’s why everything is different this camp. There’s no excuses.”

The 33-year-old has fought a number of fighters with impressive resumes.

This includes twice with top middleweight contender Robert Whittaker and UFC legend Anderson Silva.

Adesanya’s only loss in the UFC occurred at UFC 259 against Jan Blachowicz – when he moved to challenge for the light-heavyweight belt.

However, this fight against Pereira has a much different feel to it, as the two have history.

Pereira has beaten Adesanya not one but two times in kickboxing.

One occurred via decision in April 2016, while the other was a knockout in March 2017.

Considering the past, it almost feels like a must-win fight for Adesanya for his legacy and to get the bitter taste out of his mouth.

However, even though both are stand-up fighters, mixed martial arts (MMA) is quite different.

“For me, it’s the gloves,” Adesanya said in an appearance on ESPN.

“You can’t guard the same way you guard in kickboxing [versus] MMA. You have to be able to use your brain [and] move out the [way of the] shots. And also, my striking style is a lot different. I can elbow, I can use my knees, I can get in the clinch and stay in the clinch.”

Currently, Adesanya is a -245 favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

In addition to the highly anticipated main event tonight, there will some other great fights on tonight’s pay-per-view including Michael Chandler against Dustin Poirier and a women’s title match between champion Carla Esparza versus challenger Zhang Weili.

The PPV is set to kick off at 10:00 p.m. ET tonight at Madison Square Garden and can be watched on ESPN+ for $74.99.

A big main UFC card is set to happen under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden in November.

The main event will headline middleweight champion Israel Adesanya against challenger Alex Pereira.

The most interesting aspect of this fight is Pereira has beaten Adesanya twice before in kickboxing.

One occurred via decision in April 2016, while the other was a knockout in March 2017.

But a lot has changed since then.

Adesanya is 23-1 in the UFC – with his only loss coming in his light heavyweight debut against Jan Błachowicz.

The Nigerian-native has four belt defenses.

When asked how he looks back on his two losses to Pereira, Adesanya said in an appearance on ESPN that they are “a part of history.”

“But now it’s time for my story,” he said.

And there will be a big difference between the full package of mixed martial arts (MMA) compared with just kickboxing, according to Adesanya.

“For me, it’s the gloves,” said Adesanya.

“You can’t guard the same way you guard in kickboxing [versus] MMA. You have to be able to use your brain [and] move out the [way of the] shots. And also, my striking style is a lot different. I can elbow, I can use my knees, I can get in the clinch and stay in the clinch.”

Oddsmakers are agreeing with Adesanya so far, giving him a near 67% chance to defeat Pereira this time around in the octagon.

Also, a fight agreement between Michael Chandler and Dustin Poirier is reportedly “close” to being finalized.

Poirier indicated on Twitter that it would be a five-round fight. 

The opening odds favor Poirier at -150. 

Poirier is coming off a loss in December in a lightweight title fight against Charles Oliveira, who won by submission.

Chandler, who has also lost a belt to Oliveira, knocked out Tony Fergusson in May with a brutal front kick to the face.

The victor of the fight could potentially take on the winner of Oliveira and Islam Makhachev, which will take place on October 22.

After that, UFC 281 is set to take place on November 12 with Adesanya and Pereira confirmed so far confirmed.